This invention relates to device for observing an infant in a rearwardly facing safety seat located in the rear seat of a vehicle.
The "Child Passenger Protection Act" which became law in 1983, requires that an infant travelling in a vehicle be secured in a safety seat that is itself fastened to the center of the rear seat of the vehicle by means of seat belts. It has become common practice, as a result of the recommendations of child safety advocates, to position the car safety seat such that the infant faces the rear of the vehicle.
These car safety seats are often constructed with side panels that can obstruct any view of the infant when the infant is in the car seat.
This presents problems, however, when the driver or passenger in the front seat of the vehicle, wishes or needs to check on the condition of the infant in the car seat. The driver must either stop the vehicle and perhaps even get out of the vehicle. The passenger must turn her/his body and lean back over the front seat. In either case, the situation is dangerous or inconvenient.
If the infant is crying or otherwise giving indications of distress, the driver, if alone, is put in the position of having to stop the car in order to check on the infant. This can be inconvenient at best, and dangerous at worst is there is no safe roadside location to which the driver may safely drive the vehicle.
If the infant is quiet, it is important that the driver be able to monitor it to ensure that nothing untoward has happened to the infant.
Several earlier patents disclose various approaches to solving this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,572 issued Oct. 27, 1987 to Cossey discloses a rigid frame which fits over the top of the rear seat to which a mirror is attached by a rigid vertical telescoping sleeve. The rigid construction of this device presents a potential danger to the infant in the event of an accident or rapid deceleration of the vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,892 issued Dec. 15, 1987 to Masucci a mirror for observing a rearwardly facing child in the rear seat of a vehicle is mounted on the rear seat back and is positioned at approximately the same height as the infant's head. Since positioning the infant facing the rear seat is intended to protect the infant in the event of an accident by insuring that the infant will be projected toward the soft seat back, the location of this mirror can present a danger in that, in the event of an accident, the infant would be projected into it rather than the soft seat back. It is possible that the infant could kick this mirror with its feet dislodging it and making it useless. If the infant's feet are bare, and the mirror is hot as a result of being in the sunlight, the infant could burn its feet. It is possible that the infant could shatter this mirror possibly causing injury to the infant. The large reflective surface of this mirror could also present a problem of glare into the infant's eyes and also glare into the driver's eyes when using it to check on the infant. The mirror in this patent also requires a car seat to hold it in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,956 issued Mar. 29, 1988 to Erickson discloses a dome-shaped mirror that is mounted by means of suction cups to the roof or at the top of the rear window of the vehicle. In a station wagon or van, the distance between this location and the driver's rear-view mirror is too great to permit viewing of the infant and presents the potential of danger to the infant if it the suction is insufficient to secure the mirror in place. The mirror also vibrates because the mirror is not braced by anything but the suction cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,118 issued Feb. 20, 1990 to Harris discloses a mirror that attaches to the rear seat of a vehicle by straps that surround the rear seat back. Positioning the mirror itself involved adjusting the straps both vertically and horizontally. This can be a cumbersome procedure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,618 discloses a mirror that is positioned on the rear shelf of an automobile in front of the third taillight. Because it is situated 51/2 inches above this rear shelf it has the potential for obstructing the driver's view. Because of it's attachment mechanism, it cannot be installed in station wagons or other vehicles with rear doors. It is requires a permanent installation.